Last spring, Rocketship Public Schools D.C. sprinted into action to make sure that students in the three communities we serve could quickly pivot to distance learning after the COVID-19 pandemic forced our physical doors to close. Now, more than a year later, Rocketship schools are phasing in a return to campus for many students as more and more teachers, staff, and community members are vaccinated. Even though we transitioned overnight to distance learning last year, recovery will take time, and some members of our community will continue to learn online.
That’s why it’s so important that we confront a deep inequality in our public education system, which was revealed by the pandemic but had long been lurking beneath the surface for many students in our city: the digital divide. While the quick pivot to online learning was challenging for everyone, many students from under-resourced communities lacked access to devices and quality, high-speed internet, making the transition for these students practically impossible. And even though we took matters into our own hands and found ways to meet many of our families’ needs, we haven’t closed the digital divide; schools and school systems simply cannot close the divide alone.
When the pandemic hit, students from affluent backgrounds already had computers and good internet access. Most Rocketship students had neither. Even in households with internet access and devices, some parents who worked remotely or had multiple students were forced to make the impossible decision about which child got to attend class that day because the internet wasn’t fast enough or there wasn’t enough data to go around.
During the 2019-2020 school year, almost 8 in 10 students at Rocketship Rise Academy were considered at-risk of academic failure, while nearly a third were homeless. Similarly, two-thirds of students were at-risk of academic failure, and nearly 1 in 4 were unhoused at Rocketship Legacy Prep. These two Rocketship schools are located in Ward 7 and Ward 8, respectively, where prior to the pandemic, nearly 40% lacked access to broadband internet.
Even before the pandemic, the divide was unacceptable. Our schools, like other charters and traditional public schools, depend on electronic communications with families. Older students access and submit homework online. Many of our families depend on cell phones and service to stay connected. When the actual education of our students moved from something that happens in a classroom to something that happens on a computer screen and over the internet, the divide became a crisis.
Rocketship Schools sent home more than 1,000 laptops from our school supply and helped families find internet services. And D.C.’s Internet for All program helped some families in our communities obtain free or low-cost internet access from local service providers.
But these steps are merely stopgap measures; they haven’t solved the digital divide. Many students have not been able to take advantage of the city’s Internet for All program. Internet speeds and weak connections in under-resourced communities continue to be problems. Many students depend on “hot spots” that are inadequate for the volume of data required for online classes. Even though we’re now a year into this public health crisis, many students are still without quality internet access.
This difficult school year is ending, but disparities in internet access will remain and continue to negatively affect our students and families. D.C. has the opportunity to be a nationwide leader in making broadband internet access a true public utility — as necessary to our lives as clean water and electricity. D.C. can and should take steps toward that goal, such as working with internet service providers to expand quality internet access to poorer neighborhoods, establishing better communication with families about how to take advantage of the Internet for All program, and working with schools to make sure each and every student has the internet access they need for learning. Our students and families need this kind of technological support; it’s now absolutely fundamental to education.
Recently, members of the D.C. council introduced the Internet Equity Amendment Act, which would create a division within the D.C. government charged with setting a standard for minimum levels of internet speeds and identifying households that aren’t connected to the internet at all — or at speeds too slow to take classes or work from home. It would also be charged with identifying lower-income households that are connected to the internet at reasonable speeds but are paying too much. This vital legislation would be a start in closing our city’s digital divide.
Confronted with a crisis like nothing we’ve ever experienced, I’m proud of the work Rocketship Public Charter Schools has done to continue providing a high-quality education to our students. Even as school buildings start to reopen, high-quality internet access needs to expand to make sure all students can access education. The pandemic exposed the depth of the digital divide. Now is the time to eliminate it.
Jolene Hall Sloter is D.C. board chairwoman of Rocketship Public Charter Schools.
